'One Text or Call Could Wreck It All' traffic safety campaign being promoted this month

A new traffic campaign with the slogan of "One Text or Call Could Wreck It All" is being sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this month.

April has been designated Distract Driving Awareness Month, with Kentucky law-enforcement agencies committed to spreading the word. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people were killed and another half a million people were hurt in accidents caused by distracted driving, according to national safety administration figures.

The national effort "focuses on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness and education — the same activities that have curbed drunken driving and increased seat belt use," The Courier-Journal reports.

Officials said they want to reach teen drivers especially with the effort, since that group has the highest proportion of distracted drivers who were involved in fatal crashes. (Read more)

National campaign targets distracted driving

With the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, national public-service campaign "Decide to Drive" kicked off this month.

With former boxer Joe Frazier as spokesman, the campaign features a website, as well as posters, postcards and displays for surgeons to use to educate their patients. "The goal is to get people to think before they do something dangerous behind the wheel, such as using a cellphone, sending a text, eating or even reaching for a child's toy," The Courier-Journal's Darla Carter reports.

The undertaking is funded by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Orthopedic surgeons can mend a lot, but "there are some injuries you just can't make normal," said Dr. Marc Zussman, who practices in Rockford, Ill.

In 2009, 5,474 people died nationwide and another 448,000 were hurt in accidents thought to have involved distracted driving. In 2010, more than 54,000 accidents took place in which distracted driving was believed to be a factor. In July, it became illegal to text while driving in Kentucky. Drivers under the age of 18 cannot use cell phones at all while their vehicle is moving. As of January, texting and teen drivers can be stopped and fined for the violations.

To combat the issue, "a change in the entire safety culture is needed," as occurred with seat-belt awareness, said Boyd Sigler, director of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety. (Read more)

Distracted Walking: Using a Cell Phone and Walking Is Risky

From the NYTimes:

"Distracted driving has gained much attention lately because of the inflated crash risk posed by drivers using cellphones to talk and text.

But phones aren't just distracting drivers; they make pedestrians inattentive too.

Distracted walking combines a pedestrian, an electronic device and an unseen crack in the sidewalk, the pole of a stop sign, a toy left on the living room floor or a parked (or sometimes moving) car.

Examples include a 16-year-old boy who walked into a telephone pole while texting and suffered a concussion; a 28-year-old man who tripped and fractured a finger on the hand gripping his cellphone; and a 68-year-old man who fell off the porch while talking on a cellphone, spraining a thumb and an ankle and causing dizziness."





References:
Forget Gum. Walking and Using Phone Is Risky. NYTimes.
Video: Stop texting while driving. Terrifying. All drivers should watch this.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary (video).